Draft rigging



A. e. SANDMAN.

DRAFT RIGG ING.

APPLICATION men JULY 20. I920.

Patented Aug. 15, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

v A. e. SANDMAN.

DRAFT RIGGING.

APPLICATION HLED JULY 20,1920.

Patented Aug. 15,1922.

2 shins-swan 2.

AUGUST G. SANDMAN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

DRAFT RIGGING.

Application filed July 20,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, AUGUST G. SANDMAN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State ofMaryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in DraftRigging; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention,'such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains'to make and use the same.

The invention relates to! draft rigging for railway cars, and moreparticularly to that class of draft rigging designed for application topassenger car underframes. The primary object of the invention,generally stated, is to provide an interchangeable equipment suitablefor either passenger or freight cars. To this end the principal featureof my invention consists in providing novel means for ivotallyconnecting the coupler (of the frelght car type) to a horizontal yoke.

Another feature of my invention consists in interposing between thecoupler and the cushioning mechanism therefor a plurality of members andin operatively connecting the coupler to one of said'members and inpivotally connecting said member to the other member, and in connectingsaid members to the cushioning mechanism so as to. actuate the same.

There are other features of the invention as will hereinafter appearfrom the more detailed description of the particular embodiment thereofwhich has beenoillustrated.

Referring to the drawings,-

Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in horizontal longitudinal section, of adraft rigging and the associated portions of a car underframe.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section of a passenger car underframeshowing the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal longitudinal section of a portion of theconstruction shown in Fi 1 on a slightly larger scale.

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the socket member to which the coupler isrigidly connected.-

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same.

Figs. 6 and 7 are views, respectively, in top plan and side elevation ofthe spacer block which forms one of the principa features of myinvention.

Throughout the specification and draw- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1922.

1920. Serial No. 397,778.

ings like parts are designated by like reference characters.

Before describing the embodiment 'of the invention herein illustrated indetail, it might be well to point out that as a general rule there aretwo classes of equipment provided by every railroad, one commonly knownas the freight equipment and the other as passenger equipment, the firstbe- 1ng applicable only to freight cars and the second applicableonly'to passenger cars. The reason for this distinction in equipment istwo-fold. First, the difference in weight and number of cars employed intrains in passenger service as compared with those each railroad to keepon .hand different repair parts of different kinds of equipments,resulting in increased cost of maintenance and duplication of partswhich cannot be interchangeably used. It will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from the detailed description of the invention ashereinafter set forth that I have obviated this objection and haveprovided interchangeable equipment suitable for either freight orpassenger cars.

In the drawings, the coupler 1, which is of the ordinary freight type,is-provided with a stem 2 which fits between and is rigidly connected toa pivot block or socket member 3 by means of a key 4 which is adapted topass through alined slots. in the jaws 5 of the socket member and throuh the usual key slot 6 provided in the coup er stem 2. The socket memberextends rearwardlly of the coupler and is pivotally connecte to a spacerblock 7 by means of a pintle 8. The said block 7 is provided with aconcave face 9 struck on the center of the pintle 8, which is-adapted toengage with the rounded end 10 of the socket member 3 to provide anadequate bearing and to relieve the pintle 8 of shear strain underbuffing loads. In rear of the said curved face 9 the block 7 is providedwith a transversely extending slot 11 through which the key 12 isadapted to pass, the said key ex tending through slots 13 in the arms 14of the yoke, through slots in the cheek-plates 15, and throughcorresponding slots formed in the sills 16. In rear of the slot 11 theblock 7 is provided with a bearing face 17 in which may be a centralopening 18 to receive the lug 19 of the follower 20. Extending from theupper and lower faces of the block 7 is a pair of wings 21 which extendlaterally of the upright side walls of the block 7 and are adapted tofit between the inner faces of the wear plates 22 which are connected tothe inner faces of the sills 16. These laterally extending wings 21 areadapted to engage the upper and lower faces of the block or socketmember The arrangement of cheek-plates, transversely extending keys andthe slotted follower block is of the well known Farlow type ofconstruction and need not be further described. v

The yoke arms 14 are connected adjacent their inner ends by thetransversely extending member 14*, which is preferably formed integralwith the said yoke arms. Said member is adapted normally to engage thetransversely extending web 26 of a back stop 27 which is interposedbetween and connected to the adjacent sills 16 by means of the rivets28. The said back stop 27 is preferably provided on its forward facewith lugs 29 which he on opposite sides of the yoke arms 14. The saidlugs may be provided with laterally extending lips or flanges 30 adaptedto underlie the yoke arms 14 and form a support therefor. Tnterposedbetween the follower 20 and the ordinary form of flat follower 31 whlchengages the rear member 14 of the yoke, is a cushioning unit which ishere shown as a combined friction and spring cushioning mechanism 32 ofa well known type. lit is to be understood that the particular form ofcushioning mechanism here shown is merely illustrative, and that otherforms of cushioning mechanism may be em ployed if desired.

Referring now to Fig. 2, it will be observed that there is thereinillustrated the ordinary passenger platform 33, a platform buffer 34, acover plate 35, a platform end s1ll 36 from which depends a carry iron37 wh ch may be of any desired conformation. The recess between theplatform end sill 36 and the casting 38 is adapted to receive any buffercushioning mechanism (not shown). This recess is closed at the bottom bythe plate 39, and to the lower face of the said plate 39 I connect,preferably by the rivets 40, a guide member 41 which is adapted tooverlie the pintle 8 and prevent the same from working upwardly. Thewide bear- .ing formed by the lower pair ofwings 21 of the block 7 isadapted to rest upon a carry iron 42, clearly shown in Fig. 2, the saidcarry iron being preferably connected at its side edges to the adjacentportions of the sills 16, and a second carry iron 43 may be provided,the said carry iron being adapted to underlie the rearward portion ofthe cushioning mechanism 32 and form a support for the same.

in passenger equipment it is desirable to permit a much greater anglingof the cou pler than in freight equipment, and by my invention I haveprovided means whereby the coupler may swing laterally to the desiredextent without interference and without contacting the side members ofthe yoke,

and by providing a block or member, such as the member 7, which ismaintained in alinement with the yoke arms and which has a circularsurface against which the rear end of the pivot block or socket member 3abuts,

it will be readily apparent to those skilled 20 rearwardly of the yokeand causing a'compression of the cushioning mechanism the cushioningmechanism and yoke being held stationary by reason of the contact withthe back stop 27. On a forward movementof the coupler, the coupler, thesocket member and the block 7 and yoke all move outwardly with referenceto the car sills and the follower 20, the follower 20 being held fromforward movement by the engagement of the key 23 with the stops providedon the cheekplates 15.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLet ters Patent is z- 1. Th a draft rigging, the combination connectedthereto, means for compressing adapted to engage the cushioningelements, a coupler and separate means for connecting said block'to thesaid coupler, said block being movable longitudinally with the saidcoupler. v

3. In a draft rigging, the combination with the car sills, of a yoke, atransversely extending key passing through the said yoke and adapted tooperatively connect the said a yoke to the said sills, a coupler and ablock slidably connected to 'the said yoke, and means forpivotallyconnecting said coupler to the said block.

4. In a draft rigging, the combination with a horizontally arrangedyoke, of a fol lower block positioned between the arms of the said yoke,a second block adapted normally to bear against saidfollower, a keyconnecting said last named block with the said yoke, a coupler, andmeans for'pivotally connecting said coupler to the said yoke, said meanscomprising a member rigidly connected to the coupler and pivotallyconnected to said last named block.

5. In a draft rigging, the combination with a horizontally disposedyoke, of a block positioned between the arms of the said yoke, a keyslidably connecting said block and yoke, and means interposed betweenthe coupler and said block and pivot ally connected to the latter foruniting said coupler and yoke.

6. In a draft rigging, the combination with a horizontally disposedyoke, of a coupler and means for pivotally connecting said coupler andoke, said means comprising a block slidably connected to the said yoke,and an extension member, said member being provided with a socket at oneend to receive the coupler stem and furnished at the! opposite end withlugs which are adapted to pivotally engage ,the said block.

7. In a draft rigging, the combination with a horizontally disposedyoke, of a conpler and means for pivotally connecting said coupler andyoke, said means compris-. ing a block slidably connected to the saidyoke, and a member provided with a socket at one end to-receive thecoupler stem and pivotally connected at its opposite end to the saidblock.

8. In a draft rigging, the combination with a horizontally disposedyoke, of a block positioned between the arms of the said yoke, a key foroperatively connecting said block to said yoke, meanson the said blockadapted to extend on opposite sides of the said yoke arms, said meansbeing adapted to engage a stationary portion 0 the car under-frame, andmeans for pivotally connecting the coupler to saidblock.

9. In a draft rigging, the combination with the car sills, of ahorizontally disposed yoke, a plurality of transversely extending keyspassing through said yoke and adapted to operatively connect the saidyoke to the said sills, a coupler and means interposed between thecoupler and one of the said keys for pivotally connecting the coupler tosaid yoke, said means including a plural ity of members, one of saidmembers being slidably connected to the said-yoke by means {if anotherof said transversely extending eys.

In testimony whereofI aflix my signature.

AUGUST G. SANDMAN.

